Tim Hutchinson
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Profile

Tim Hutchinson is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas, having served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and one term in the U.S. Senate. He has spent nearly two decades in elective office, having started his career as an Arkansas state representative in 1985. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. Tim became the first Republican ever popularly elected to the U.S. Senate from the State of Arkansas four years later.

In the Senate, Tim focused on educational issues. While serving on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he took a leading role in the passage of Education Savings Accounts and helped shape the Leave No Child Behind legislation.

While in the House of Representatives, Tim served on the Education and Labor Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He was the original sponsor of child tax credit legislation, a key figure in reauthorizing the 1996 welfare reform law, and he chaired the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, which has jurisdiction over one of the largest hospital and health care delivery systems in the nation.

Tim is experienced in dealing with health care issues. He was the Chief Senate Sponsor of legislation creating Association Health Plans, served on the Patient’s Bill of Rights Conference Committee and co-sponsored legislation addressing the nation’s nursing shortage. His interest in the cutting-edge issue of biotechnology also led him to form the Senate Biotechnology Caucus. Tim also sponsored numerous bills addressing labor law modernization and Occupational Safety & Health Administration reform.

Tim is also experienced with homeland security matters. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, he traveled to South Korea, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Israel. As chairman of the Personnel Subcommittee, he sponsored legislation that now provides lifetime health care for military retirees. He also was the co-chairman of the C-130 Caucus.

Having served four years on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House and two years on the Environment and Public Works Committee in the Senate, Tim helped write two national transportation bills. He was also deputy whip in the GOP leadership teams in both the House and the Senate, and has received numerous awards over the years for his work on behalf of veterans and the military.

In December 2011, Tim was named one of the top 30 federal lobbyists in Washington, DC by National Journal and First Street. He was listed among the 10 top former members of Congress lobbying today.